María Elvira Salazar: “I discuss the pending reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act. We are near the end of what has been a very long process.…”

“I discuss the pending reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act. We are near the end of what has been a very long process. For the past year, Congress has grappled with the need to renew a handful of provisions of the PATRIOT Act. As my colleagues know well, this legislation has embodied the debate over how to balance the needs of law enforcement in the war on terrorism and the paramount importance of protecting Americans' civil liberties. The greatest Americans have always understood our shared responsibility as citizens of this great country to ensure that we get this balance right. And many times over the course of the debate about the PATRIOT Act, I have thought of Benjamin Franklin's words, ``They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.'' I have thought about how Daniel Webster reminded us that ``God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.'' I believe that it is worth taking pains to be sure that we produce the very best balance, and the very best legislation, we can. Last week, several Senators with whom I have worked closely over the past year announced that they had reached an agreement with the White House on a proposal to renew these controversial provisions. Let me say at the outset that I do not believe this agreement is by any means perfect.…”